Deepa Malik plans to uplift para sports in South Asia

Paralympian and first-ever Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics, Deepa Malik was appointed as the sub-regional representative for South Asia by the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC).

The historic appointment, confirmed during the 34th Executive Board meeting of the APC, signifies a significant step forward for gender diversity and athlete-centric leadership in para-sports.

With Deepa's appointment, the number of female representatives on the APC Executive Board to five, making it the highest female representation on the board in the history of the organization.

Her role will involve representing South Asian nations and advocating for the development and promotion of para-sports across the region.

Talking to The Bridge about her appointment, Deepa Malik said," My responsibilities have multiple many fold and I am proud that India has a representation at the continental level. I would thank the Paralympic Committee of India and the Asian Paralympic Committee for this opportunity."

The leadership role is not a new thing for Deepa Malik as she is the former president of the Paralympic Committee of India and has been a crucial member in uplifting the Para Athletes in the country.

"My selection exhibits India’s policy and commitment to the betterment of the Para Sports," she said further.

Plans to uplift South Asian Para Sports

India is the clear leader in Para Sports when it comes to the South Asian region with historic 19 medals at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and record-breaking 111 medals at the Asian Para Games 2022.

But other members such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Maldives struggle to participate at the international level.

"I must enable these countries struggling with lack of access to basic para sports infrastructure to participate at the top level. This will help them in improving the quality of the para-athletes," said Deepa.

Deepa plans to use her experience as the president of PCI to help the other members of the region.

"Conducting knowledge transfer sessions, and webinars to improve awareness about the sport and helping them with medical classification is going to be my top priority. I think my four years of hard work as a leader at PCI will help me in doing this," said Deepa.

"As a former Paralympian, I understand the areas of concern and where the athletes struggle. I am excited for the work that will help the Para Sports," Deepa concluded.